HOMECOMING FOOTBALL
SAME SCHOOL NEW TRADITIONSBY SAM SNEED ON OCTOBER 8, 2014
Homecoming is not just about the game, but the experience. This year Rose had the second annual alumni tailgate along with tours for the alumni led by the Gentleman’s Society of Rose as well as the typical homecoming festivities. Along with the alumni tailgate, the ceremony for the opening of the Rose Brickyard also took place. The brickyard is a place where former Rose students can leave a mark on the school.
The team did not take a different approach toward the homecoming game than any other game. The only difference the team made was that they practiced with speakers playing loud music to get the team ready for the crazy environment that they faced Friday. Other than that they did not try to put any different thoughts into the players minds. “We do not have a different mindset going into this game, to us it is just another game,” senior Geoffrey Williams said. This year the homecoming parade was held at halftime as it always is, but this year all of the homecoming court was driven around the track in old hot rods. This year’s homecoming queen was senior Taylor Clark, and the title of Mr. and Mrs. School Spirit was awarded to Collin Loy and Keeley Gay. This was the team’s fifth game of the season and their first conference game. Also it was the team’s first game in which they were losing during the game. The game was kicked off with a long touchdown run for Copeland Spell in the first couple minutes of the game. Rose kept this intensity going for the rest of the game scoring 41 points. “It felt good coming in undefeated, but we hadn’t really played anyone who was really up to our competition level yet,” senior Blake Rogers said. The Rampants pulled out the win over Conley after a close call. When at the end of the game Conley was within the 20 yard line. The Rampants forced a turnover after Conley could not complete a fourth down pass attempt. After that all the Rampants had to do was kneel the ball and the game was over. This year’s alumni tailgate had many past students attend. The tailgate was headed mainly by the Academic Boosters Association and had food and refreshments for anyone who came. “The best aspect were the fans,” sophomore Tyshawn Barrett said. “It was very fun there were a lot of people and they really helped us through it.” The fans showed up to this game as the stands were completely filled on both sides, and there was barely any room to stand along the fence. The stadium got very loud, but the Rose football players were prepared because they had practiced with the speakers playing. The football team also traveled to South Central the next week to take on the Falcons. This was an important game for the team because with this win the team stayed undefeated and has beaten every team in the county. Thus claiming it as “Our County.” |
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